Philip Gordon, special assistant to the president and White House coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa, and the Gulf region since 2013, will join the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) as a senior fellow. Based in Washington, DC, his research will focus on U.S. foreign policy toward the Middle East and Europe.

The prospect of sanctions relief as part of an Iran nuclear agreement has alarmed some in Congress, but they should see the value of a UN Security Council resolution affirming the deal, says CFR’s John B. Bellinger III.

Yemen is the latest Middle East state to become enmeshed in a costly political and religious conflict that spans borders. The region’s struggles could well last for three decades longer, writes CFR President Richard N. Haass.

In his testimony before the Senate Committee on Armed Services, Ray Takeyh argues that the United States must find a way to impose limits on Iran's nuclear ambitions through negotiations while restraining its regional ambitions through pressure.

President Obama's comments about Israel in the last week have deepened the crisis in US-Israel relations, and it appears that this was precisely what he intended. Republicans will criticize the president's moves, but the emerging situation is a test of the many Democrats who claim to be strong supporters of Israel. Elliott Abrams discussed this in National Review, and the text follows.

Asnegotiationsbetween Iran and the great powers press forward, Secretary of State John F. Kerry seems to have settled on this defense of any agreement: The terms will leave Iran at least a year away from obtaining a nuclear bomb, thus giving the world plenty of time to react to infractions.

On March 20, 2015, three hundred and sixty-seven House lawmakers signed a letter to President Obama regarding nuclear negotiations with Iran. The letter lists concerns the lawmakers have regarding Iran's ability to build a nuclear weapon and the Iranian government's relations with Iraq, Syria, and Yemen.

Tunisia was struck by a terrible act of terrorism today: gunmen, presumably of Islamist persuasion, stormed the Bardo museum in the capital, Tunis, killing tourists indiscriminately. Early news accounts suggest that at least 19 people were killed before security forces stormed the building and killed the terrorists.

Israel's next governing coalition will lead a country that is prosperous and militarily strong but faces security, economic, and social challenges. Five experts weigh in on the country’s policy priorities.

Vice President Joseph Biden wrote a response to the May 9, 2015 letter from Republican Senators to Iran, which stated that Congress had to approve international agreements related to Iran's nuclear program. Vice President Biden responded that international negotiations and diplomacy often take place outside of congressional approval.

CFR Experts Guide

The Council on Foreign Relations' David Rockefeller Studies Program—CFR's "think tank"—is home to more than seventy full-time, adjunct, and visiting scholars and practitioners (called "fellows"). Their expertise covers the world's major regions as well as the critical issues shaping today's global agenda. Download the printable CFR Experts Guide.

New Council Special Reports

Campbell evaluates the implications of the Boko Haram insurgency and recommends that the United States support Nigerian efforts to address the drivers of Boko Haram, such as poverty and corruption, and to foster stronger ties with Nigerian civil society.

Koblentz argues that the United States should work with other nuclear-armed states to manage threats to nuclear stability in the near term and establish processes for multilateral arms control efforts over the longer term.

The authors argue that it is essential to begin working now to expand and establish rules and norms governing armed drones, thereby creating standards of behavior that other countries will be more likely to follow.

2014 Annual Report

Learn more about CFR’s mission and its work over the past year in the 2014 Annual Report. The Annual Report spotlights new initiatives, high-profile events, and authoritative scholarship from CFR experts, and includes a message from CFR President Richard N. Haass.Read and download »